David Foster Wallace, a writer considered by many to be the natural heir to Joyce, Pynchon and DeLillo. Here a prominent young American novelist recalls meeting him as a starstruck student reporter says Joshua Ferris

David Foster Wallace, who died last week, was the most brilliant American writer of his generation. In a speech, published here for the first time, he reflects on the difficulties of daily life and 'making it to 30, or maybe 50, without wanting to shoot yourself in the head'

Artists have often come together in groups, and a new literary network stretches from London to San Francisco - via Mantua. Gordon Burn considers what it is that Zadie Smith, Nick Hornby and David Foster Wallace have in common, and makes a case for the coterie as a creative hub